May 16, 2014

Kesik Bridge (Sivas): Kesik Bridge is one of the best examples of
Anatolian Seljukian architecture tradition, located over Kizilirmak in
the route of Ancient Sivas-Kayseri road and was built by Seljukian State
in 1292. The bridge has a length of 326,36 meters and width of 4,95
meters; the bridge is completely built with cut stones. The biggest arch
span is 7,90 meters long. The bridge consists of two parts; its Sivas
side has 17 niches and its Kayseri side has 2 niches.

Clandiras Bridge (Usak): Clandiras Bridge is an important passage
between the past and the future constructed in the area of Phrygians,
located over Banaz Stream in Karahalli district of Usak province. The
bridge is approximately 2500 years old. Bridge which has a structure
with pulley shaped arch with one niche, has a width of 1,75 meters and
length of 24 meters and depth of 17 meters. The stone surfaces of the
bridge constructed over the strong stones and placed on semi-waist of
the rocks of the mountain are engraved and big stones of the arches are
clamped into each other.

February 8, 2014

The Principality of Liechtenstein and its neighbour Switzerland are
joined by several bridges over the Rhine, the border river. In the
second part of the “Bridges bring together” series Philately
Liechtenstein turns its attention to the “Foot and Cycle Bridge” (CHF 0.85) “Buchs-Schaan“ (CHF 1.00) and also the “Rhine Bridge”
(CHF 1.40) “Bendern-Haag“ (CHF 1.90).

Until well into the 19th century the Rhine could be crossed only on
ferries. These crossings were not without danger: in 1587 85 people from
Werdenberg drowned in a ferry accident on the way home after a
pilgrimage to the Church of St. Mary in Bendern. In 1868 the first
bridge was built at the Rhine crossing between Bendern (Liechtenstein)
and Haag (Switzerland). It was burned down in 1894, whereupon a new
wooden bridge was erected in 1896. This one collapsed in 1974 after
another fire. Fortunately the concrete bridge of today depicted on the
commemoratives was built in 1965, so that the transport link between the
two countries operated without interruption at the time of the
disaster.

Since the spring of 2009 pedestrians and cyclists in the Rhine local
recreation area have enjoyed an attractive link between Schaan
(Liechtenstein) and Buchs (Switzerland). The 132-metres long bridge
weighing 120 tonnes is suspended over the water on two transversely
positioned steel pylons. The bridge itself is, so to speak, a welcome
spinoff from a much larger construction project, for it represents the
visible heart of an otherwise underground steam pipeline. This just six
kilometres long pipeline supplies three industrial undertakings in
Liechtenstein with process steam from the refuse incineration plant in
Buchs. The annual supply of some 100 tonnes of steam is equivalent to
about 12 million litres of heating oil and contributes every year to the
avoidance of 20,000 tonnes of CO2.

February 7, 2014

It is not yet 150 years since
Liechtenstein and Switzerland, the two countries separated by the Rhine
as border-marking river, were first brought together by shared bridges.

Before
that people and goods were conveyed between the Liechtenstein and Swiss
banks of the Rhine by ferries, five of which were still operating at
the beginning of the 19th century. Only after physical structures
controlling the course of the Rhine had been put in place was it
possible in 1867-68 to build the first wooden bridges, at that time
still uncovered, between Bendern and Haag and between Schaan and Buchs.
The first part of the “Bridges bring together” series illustrates in
greater detail two of these bridges, which have since been a
characterizing feature of the Rhine valley.

The
“Old Rhine bridge” (CHF 0.85) between Vaduz and Sevelen
(“Vaduz-Sevelen”, face value CHF 1.00), which used to be the main link
between Vaduz and neighbouring Switzerland, was built in 1870-1871.
After it had had to be raised twice in the following years, in 1900-1901
it was re-built on the piers of its predecessor. Since the mid 1970s
the Old Rhine bridge has been accessible only to non-motorized traffic.

The
last major renovation was completed in 2010. The “Railway bridge” (face
value CHF 1.40) between “Schaan-Buchs” (face value CHF 1.90), which
later became a subsection of the famous “Orient Express”, was first
crossed in 1872 by a train drawn by a steam locomotive belonging to the
“Vorarlberg Railway”. In the devastating flood disaster of 1927 the
section of the bridge on the Liechtenstein side plunged into the water.
In 1934-35 the present-day 190-metre-long steel bridge was erected on
the river pier of the collapsed bridge. The stamps’ face designs are
based on photographs by Bruno Kopfli from Eschen.

February 3, 2014

The Øresund or Öresund Bridge is a combined
two-track rail and four-lane road bridge-tunnel across the Öresund
strait. It is the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe and
connects the two metropolitan areas of the Öresund Region: the Danish
capital of Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmö. The international
European route E20 runs across the bridge and through the tunnel via the
two lane motorway, as does the Öresund Railway Line. The construction
of the Great Belt Fixed Link and the Øresund have connected mainland
Europe to Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia. The bridge was designed by
the Danish architectural practice Dissing+Weitling.

The reason for incurring the additional cost and complexity of building a
tunnel instead of another section of bridge is to avoid obstructing
aircraft from nearby Copenhagen Airport and to provide a clear path for
shipping. The bridge crosses the border between Denmark and Sweden, but
due to the Schengen Agreement and the Nordic Passport Union there are no
passport controls. There are frequent customs checks at the toll booths
for those entering Sweden but not for those entering Denmark.

The Northern Drawbridge to the Citadel in Copenhagen, 1837,
Christen Købke

This view is from the Citadel of Copenhagen towards one of the bridges
of the moat. The artist lived with his family in the Citadel until 1833
and this canvas may have been painted as a souvenir for Købke's mother,
the first recorded owner of the picture. It was preceded by a detailed
drawing and an oil sketch, both of which survive. They show that the
artist made slight alterations in the final painting, adding the two
soldiers who are shown fishing on the far bank of the moat, and omitting
a tree on the right.

Christen Schiellerup Købke (26 May 1810 – 7 February 1848), Danish painter, was born in Copenhagen
to Peter Berendt Købke, a baker, and his wife Cecilie Margrete. He was
one of 11 children. Købke is one of the best known artists belonging to
the Golden Age of Danish Painting.

January 11, 2014

Majestic,
graceful, powerful — the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a breathtaking
sight visible from vantage points in all five of New York City’s
boroughs. The bridge celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2014, which the
U.S. Postal Service commemorates with this new Priority Mail stamp.

The digital illustration on the stamp captures the grandeur of the
Verrazano, not only showing its sheer size and scale, but also giving a
sense of the sweeping curve of the double-decker roadway. The artist
chose to showcase the bridge at twilight, which offers an interesting
play of light and shadow.

Named for explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, the first European to
enter New York Bay, the bridge spans the Narrows, the strait dividing
Upper and Lower New York Bay, and connects Brooklyn and Staten Island.
The bridge’s two massive towers support four enormous cables that each
weighs more than 9,000 tons. From each cable hang 262 suspender ropes
that hold up the double-decker roadway. Each deck carries six lanes of
traffic.

The bridge’s center span is 4,260 feet long—so long that its two
monumental towers, soaring 690 feet into the sky, are spaced
one-and-five-eighths inches farther apart at their tops than at their
bases to compensate for the curvature of the earth.

At time of the opening of the upper deck on November 21, 1964, it was
the longest suspension bridge in the world. (The lower deck opened five
years later.)

Designed by art director Phil Jordan, the stamp features a digital illustration created by Dan Cosgrove.

The scenic Arlington Green Bridge in Bennington County, Vermont, takes center stage in this Priority Mailstamp. One of the most-photographed covered bridges in the state, it was built in 1852.

The digital stamp art depicts the red wooden bridge against a
backdrop of autumn leaves. On the far side of the bridge, a white church
steeple rises from a traditional village green. The bridge spans the
Batten Kill trout stream in Arlington, just off Route 313 in southern
Vermont. Although it stretches 80 feet across the stream, the bridge’s
roadbed is only wide enough to allow one lane of traffic to rumble over
its wooden planks at a time.

The U.S. Postal Service recognized the 25th anniversary of Florida's Sunshine Skyway Bridge by issuing the $5.15 Sunshine Skyway Bridge Priority Mail stamp. In the stamp artwork, the bridge rises from Tampa Bay's vivid blue water and is silhouetted against an orange sky. Tiny vehicles on the roadbed reveal the massive scale of this engineering marvel.

The new Sunshine Skyway bridge started with a disaster and concluded with the world's most beautiful bridge. The collision and loss of life which occurred on May 9, 1980, created an opportunity to build a new bridge which memorialized the 35 people who lost their lives that day; engaged state of the art design, engineering and construction and unified the Tampa Bay communities to create what is now the signature of Tampa Bay.

Construction began on the new bridge began two years after the tragedy. The new bridge featured on the stamp is one of the first major concrete-and-steel, cable-stayed bridges in the United States. Completed in 1987, the main bridge and approach spans stretch more than four miles across Tampa Bay and link the Gulf Coast communities surrounding St. Petersburg and Bradenton.

To many people the 42 brilliant yellow cables look like sails and their two supporting pylons like masts rising from the water. Engineers designed the cable-stayed section of the new bridge to soar 190 feet above the water to allow unhindered navigation to and from the busy port of Tampa.

Setting new standards for technical innovation and esthetics, the structural design is considered by many to be a modern masterpiece. Renamed in 2005 after the former governor who envisioned its construction, the Bob Graham/Sunshine Skyway Bridge has been the recipient of dozens of engineering and design awards.

The stamp, designed by Carl T. Hermann of North Las Vegas, NV, showcases a digital illustration created by artist Dan Cosgrove of Chicago, IL.

The stamp features the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayette County, West
Virginia, and is based on a digital illustration by Dan Cosgrove of
Clarendon Hills, Illinois, depicting the bridge as sunset approaches.

One of the highest bridges in the
United States, the bridge features a 1,700-foot span that is the longest
steel arch in the Western Hemisphere. The Washington Monument could fit
under its 876-foot arch with more than 100 yards to spare.

The two-hinged deck arch spans a gorge that, before its
completion in 1977, required drivers 40 minutes to navigate because of
narrow and winding roads. The steel and concrete bridge weighs more than
88 million pounds. Its unpainted, weathering steel oxidizes with age
and becomes a rustic brown color that blends the bridge into its rugged
surroundings.

Held on the third Saturday of October, New River Gorge Bridge
Day draws more than 100,000 people, including hundreds of rappellers,
who descend down the bridge on ropes, and BASE (building, antenna, span,
and earth) jumpers

The Mackinac Bridge towers 200 feet above the windswept waters of Lakes Huron and Michigan. “Mighty Mac” extends 5 miles across the Straits of Mackinac to link Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

Before the bridge opened in 1957, travelers waited in long lines to cross the
channel by ferry or drove all the way around Lake Michigan and through
Wisconsin to get to the other side. The Mackinac
Bridge shortened the trip to a ten-minute drive and opened the Upper
Peninsula to tourism – adding an estimated $100 million a year to
Michigan’s tourist trade.

Bridge designers took special precautions for Michigan’s severe winter weather. Grated openings between the center lanes improve airflow and prevent the road deck from being pushed up by strong winds. During high winds, the road deck can also move up to 35 feet from side to side to keep the bridge from buckling.

Some drivers are uncomfortable crossing the Mighty Mac. Bridge personnel call these commuters “timmies,” because they are too timid to drive across. The bridge authority provides them with a chauffeur at no extra fee.

With
the blue waters of the Pacific rolling out below and the rugged
mountains of Santa Lucia in the background, the Bixby Creek Bridge
carries travelers toward their destinations. The California landmark
also connects people with nature.

Completed in 1932, the Bixby Creek Bridge introduced automobile travel to Big Sur, California. Prior to its opening, travelers endured rough wagon roads. The 30-mile round-trip journey from Monterey to Big Sur used to take 3 days. The bridge has improved travel and opened up tourism to the region.

Bixby Bridge is a tourist destination in itself. Using Art Deco style, the sweeping arch and slender columns make it appear part of the natural landscape. Rather than cut through the countryside, Bixby was purposely designed to preserve and complement it. The two large pillars are set wide apart, allowing Bixby Creek to run its natural course. The columns are also set directly into the canyon wall, reducing the amount of excavation needed.

Bixby Creek Bridge is one of the most recognizable landmarks in California. Spanning Rainbow Canyon, the bridge combines art, conservation, and function. Its beauty is matched only by the ocean waves crashing on the sandy shores below.

About me

Classifications

A bridge is a structure built to span a gorge, valley, road, railroad track, river, body of water, or any other physical obstacle, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle. Designs of bridges will vary depending on the function of the bridge and the nature of the terrain where the bridge is to be constructed.

A viaduct is a structure sometimes considerable, composed of arches or spans many and raised, sometimes on several stages of vaults, and intended to cross great spaces, valleys, large ravines etc.

An aqueduct (occasionally water bridge) applies to any bridge or viaduct that transports water - instead of a path, road or railway - across a gap.

A culvert is a very small arch bridge of less 6m of opening, comprising only two supports and usually built on a small ravine, a brook etc.